


In Good Hands

by queen_scribbles



Series: 73 Minutes [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 17:24:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17026938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: This was largely written because I gave Tel a cybernetic leg at roughly the end of act 1 and figured I needed to come up with backstory for how he wound up with it in-game. I set it between act 1 and act 2 because I realized Elara’s first convo in act 2 is the one about how she’s growing fond of you and I went “Yes, PERFECT B)”





	In Good Hands

 

Anyone who knew what he'd been through in the past several months--the mess on Ord Mantell, hunting down the traitorous former Havoc Squad--would likely have assumed that Tel was enjoying the time off that followed Harron Tavus' capture. And he did. For about a week. Then he started praying for Garza to call them back to active duty, because he was bored almost out of his mind.

Salvation from the mundane came in the form of his holocom beeping cheerily as he _tried_ to relax in one of Coruscant's many cantinas. He pulled out the com and grinned as he accepted the call, recognizing the incoming frequency. "Hey, sis. What's up?"  
  
"Are you busy? Is this a good time?" Silver checked as her image crackled and wavered into view.  
  
"No to the first, yes to the second," Tel said, frowning slightly at her holo. "You eatin' enough, Silver? You look like you lost weight."  
  
She waved off his concern. "It was a stressful few months is all. Don't worry, though, they're behind me now. 'Sides, Corso would never let me hear the end of it if I don't take care of m'self."  
  
He grinned. "This farm boy's shapin' into a good first mate, then?"  
  
Silver nodded. "Much better'n I expected, to be honest, but that's not why I called you."  
  
"Oh, the plot thickens," Tel teased, largely because he was bored and knew she couldn't do anything beyond glare at him over the holo.  
  
"Tel... I'm tryin' to be _nice_ ," she huffed.  
  
"How so?" He leaned back and propped his feet on the chair opposite.  
  
"'Member how we used t' argue over the best way to help people being bullied?"  
  
"Yeeaahh..." he drawled. "Your point?"  
  
"I know of an opportunity for you to employ yours," she elaborated. "Republic colony on Trestal Five bein' terrorized by pirates."  
  
"Never heard of Trestal Five," Tel frowned, interest piqued nonetheless.  
  
"It was only recently cleared for colonization," Silver explained. "'Course a mountainous, low-population planet off the Hydian Way is prime territory for pirates. Most of the small bands just hide loot and don't bother anyone who doesn't bother them. But one, Terik's Teeth, found a nice mountaintop, dug in, and have been a nightmare for this settlement ever since."  
  
"You can't do anything to help?" That was surprising. Silver always had time for underdogs.  
  
She shook her head in frustration. "I have previous obligations." Her lips curled in a smirk. "But the less you know about that the better. _Captain_ Airen."  
  
"I deserve that," Tel snorted. "I'll see what we can do. Havoc's between assignments, so if the others wanna go play hero, we'll give it a shot."  
  
"And if they don't?"  
  
He shrugged. _"I'll_ give it a shot."  
  
" _That's_ my baby brother," Silver teased. Her attention flicked to the site. "But I gotta go. See you around."  
  
Tel grinned as he returned their customary reply. "Not if I see you first."  
  
She rolled her eyes--"Brat"--and ended the call.  
  
>>O<<  
  
It didn't take long to check in with the rest of Havoc and receive a chorus of _Of course we should help_. They were all back aboard the ship and on their way within an hour, and landing on Trestal Five a few days later. The pirate stronghold Silver had mentioned did fire at them, but Tel had familiarized himself with _Bloodstripe_ 's controls and evaded easily.  
  
A fact which seemed to stun the colonists as much as the fact they were there at all. The man in charge reminded Tel of Mayor Klarren on Tatooine; affable, kind-hearted, and competent--with just enough of an edge to him to handle a leadership role in a new colony. Alar Spence was mayor, sheriff, judge, and occasionally doctor to the small colony, and somehow had retained his sanity. Still there was no denying the relief in his eyes as he shook Tel's hand.  
  
"I can't tell you how happy we are to have back-up of some kind, Captain," Spence effused, showing them to a vacant room.  
  
"Hopefully we'll be enough," Tel commented. Havoc was tough, and they were _good_ , but what he'd glimpsed of the pirates' base looked like a fortress stacked atop a warren. It wouldn't be easy, and probably wouldn't be much fun, either. "Hate to let you nice folks down."  
  
"Ah, if half of what I've heard about your exploits is true, Captain Airen, I'm sure we're in good hands." The mayor gestured around the room. "The beds should be passably comfortable, and the holotable's loaded with all the mapping and scans we've gathered of the terrain. Everything but a floor plan to the fortress, really. For obvious reasons."  
  
"That should be a great help, sir," Dorne commented. "We can familiarize ourselves with entrance routes, if nothing else."  
  
"Good point," Tel nodded before turning back to Mayor Spence. "Thank you for the accommodations, and the maps. We'll get right to work on figuring something out."  
  
A relieved smile cracked the man's face. "Weight off my shoulders to hear that. I'll leave you to it." He took his leave, heading down the hallway with a noticeably lighter step.  
  
Tel waited until the mayor's retreating footsteps had faded into silence before closing the door and surveying the provided sleeping arrangements. Two simple but sturdy sets of bunk beds, with mattresses that did indeed look "passably comfortable", door to the private 'fresher visible in the corner, single window facing toward the mountain and fortress they had to navigate. Spartan, yes. But good enough for soldiers who'd made do with much worse.  
  
"Best way to work this is probably Jorgan an' me on one set of bunks, Dorne gets the other, and Forex, it looks like there's room by the window when you want to power down-"  
  
"There is no need, Captain," the droid countered respectfully. "My power core is self-sufficient. I would rather spend the night hours patrolling and keeping watch for threats."  
  
"Very well, suit yourself," Tel shrugged, turning to Jorgan. "Do you want the top bunk or the bottom?"  
  
"No preference, sir," Jorgan replied, studying the bunks rather than meet his commander's eye.  
  
Tel sighed and made a mental note to check with Garza about the recommendation he'd made when he received his own promotion. "Then if you don't mind, I'll take the bottom. I have a habit of rollin' out of bed before I'm completely awake, and I can see that ending disastrously if I'm up top and _forget_ that I'm up top."  
  
Behind him, Dorne coughed--which sounded suspiciously like she was covering a laugh. "We certainly wouldn't want that, Captain."  
  
A smile tugged the corners of his mouth as Tel deposited his pack on the lower bunk. "Alright, get settled in. Then Jorgan and Dorne, you two can start going through those maps, see about finding us a way into that fortress with at least a sixty percent chance of success."  
  
"Sixty percent?" Dorne sounded skeptical.  
  
"I've worked with less," Tel informed her cheerfully, shucking the upper portion of his armor for the battered, well-loved jacket his from his pack. "I'm going to ask around, see if there's anyone in the settlement with knowledge that maybe didn't make it into the maps."  
  
"And how are you going to manage that, sir? If I might ask," Dorne pressed, eyeing the dark orange jacket with an even higher level of skepticism.  
  
Tel flashed her a disarming grin as he rocked his shoulders so the well-worn leather sat more comfortably. "My good looks and natural charm, of course, lieutenant."  
  
"I wish you the best of luck then, sir," she replied, and Tel would have sworn she was struggling not to laugh as he left the room.  
  
>>O<<  
  
The remainder of that day and the majority of the next were spent gathering information, comparing firsthand accounts to the maps in order to find the least hazardous route into the fortress, and listening to the vague and somewhat sketchy recollections of the few people who had caught glimpses inside the place and made it back out in one piece. By the end of it, Havoc had a pretty thorough picture of what they were getting themselves into, and it wasn't pretty at all, mostly due to the kriffing huge hydrospanner in the works: they still knew next to nothing about what was waiting inside the fortress.  
  
"If I may, sir," Dorne ventured, breaking five minutes of silence as the three of them studied the holos. "I know we're facing a certain level of time crunch, what with not knowing how long our leave will last, but I feel we should at least attempt to scout out the fortress ourselves. Just to have a better idea of what we're getting ourselves into."  
  
"I still can't figure out why the Republic hasn't simply bombed the place into oblivion," Jorgan grumbled. "It's remote enough that could be done without endangering the settlement in the process and they are an active threat."  
  
"To one small settlement," Tel sighed. "It's politics or priorities or both. There's not enough--or at least not enough that's _important_ \--being threatened for the Senate to want to risk pulling the resources from fighting the Empire."  
  
"That's bull, sir, and you know it."  
  
"You're damn right I know it," Tel said heatedly. "Why d'you think I'm _here_ rather than kicked back in a cantina somewhere nursin' a rodian ale and beating the pants off some poor sap at dejarik? It is bull, because we have a duty to protect our citizens, and if the Senate won't do it, Havoc Squad will." He leaned back in his chair and studied the holomap thoughtfully for a minute. "I think Dorne's on to something, though."  
  
"Course you do," Jorgan muttered under his breath.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tel asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
The Cathar shrugged, eyes still fixed on the holotable. "Just that you wouldn't have made her XO if you didn't think she'd have good ideas. Sir."  
  
Ah. So _that_ was still festering. _Maybe you should tell him,_ the little voice urged, but Tel pushed it away. He didn't want to get the man's hopes up, especially given Garza's reluctance to give him a kriffing answer. "Alright, then. What are the two best routes in?"  
  
"Here and here, sir." Dorne tapped a few keys and the routes highlighted in red.  
  
Tel studied the passages and relevant readouts for a minute. "Dorne, you take Forex and go through this one." He indicated the broader, smoother of the two paths. "Jorgan and I will take the other."  
  
"Sir, may I speak with you privately for a moment?" Dorne requested as they stepped away from the holotable.  
  
"Sure. One second." Tel keyed on the proper com frequency. "Forex, return to quarters. We have an assignment."  
  
"At once, sir!" came the enthusiastic response.  
  
Tel nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to Dorne. "What's on your mind?"  
  
"You're not giving me the easier route in to coddle me, are you, Captain?" she bluntly, crossing her arms.  
  
"Of course not," he shook his head. "I know you can handle yourself, newbie." That at least earned him a smile. "I have something to discuss with Jorgan, which means you get Forex. Forex won't _fit_ in the smaller passage, ergo you get the big one. No coddling involved. I know there's more to you than just a pretty face."  
  
She answered his winning smile with the faintest glimmer of amusement, her posture relaxing ever so slightly. "Just don't go damaging _your_ pretty face any further. How _ever_ would you get the locals to open up to you?"  
  
Tel grinned. "I'd still have my charm."  
  
Dorne just arched an eyebrow as if in challenge. "We should get going, captain. That base isn't going to scout itself."  
  
"Right you are, lieeutenant," Tel chuckled. "Dismissed."  
  
>>O<<  
  
The going was far from easy, but it wasn't the toughest terrain they'd dealt with, either. Tel and Jorgan made the walk mostly in silence. Partly for stealth and partly because Tel had no idea how to broach the subject of the uxibeast in the room, so to speak.  
  
Finally, as they entered the tunnel, Jorgan broke the silence. "Have to admit, I'm a little surprised you didn't bring Dorne with you for this, sir."  
  
"And why is that?" Tel probed, as they moved cautiously down the passageway.  
  
"She's been your first choice for fieldwork ever since Taris."  
  
"Well, yeah." Tel shrugged. "She's a medic, Jorgan. What we do is dangerous. Bringing the medic along makes sense."  
  
"That what landed her the XO spot, too? Or were there other reasons for that decision, _sir_?" Jorgan pressed, gaze sweeping the tunnel ahead rather than meeting Tel's eye.  
  
"Other reasons," Tel admitted. "But not the ones I hope _you're_ not implying. She's a good soldier, with lots of commendations for her work, and she has inside knowledge of Imperial strategy." He snorted softly. "I was actually leaning toward giving it to you until she pulled out that tidbit."  
  
"Seriously?" Jorgan sounded genuinely surprised.  
  
Tel nodded, glancing over at him. "Wasn't fair of them to punish you for something that wasn't your fault an' you couldn't have seen coming. I wanted to make it right. Still do, actually." He sighed, weighed his options, and decided what the hell. "I put in a recommendation with Garza that you be reinstated as a lieutenant."  
  
"You _what_?" Jorgan actually stepped in his tracks and gaped at him.  
  
"You heard me." Tel chuckled quietly, very aware of how far sound would carry as they moved further into the tunnel. "Brass are dragging their feet, 's why I hadn't said anything. Didn't want to get your hopes up in case they decide no. But if they want to tout me as a war hero, well, I'll be damned if I don't throw that weight around a little. Y'know, for a good cause."  
  
"Thank you, sir." If he didn't know better, Tel would have sworn the Cathar sounded _touched_.  
  
"Don't thank me yet," he waved it off. "Like I said, brass're dragging their feet. They might deny it, and even if they don't, El- Dorne's my XO so she'd still technically outrank you..."  
  
"I think this is one of those situations where it's the thought that counts, sir," Jorgan said, tone faintly amused. "Even if they do say no, you tried and that's what matters."  
  
"If you say so," Tel shrugged, and that was it for conversation. They had progressed far enough up the tunnel to worry about potentially being overhead, and so proceeded in silence.  
  
They had almost made it to the fortress when Tel stepped past the reach of his light and simultaneously felt a faint pressure against his shin and heard the quiet _ting_ that originated somewhere near the wall.  
  
"Get down!" He spun around and slammed one hand into Jorgan's chest in the split second before the wall erupted with a gout of flame and smoke that washed the world white before it crashed into black.  
  
>>O<<  
  
Compared to Havoc's other missions, this little scouting expedition could almost be called boring. That didn't lessen its importance, of course. But considering that scarcely more than a week ago she'd been fighting her way through an Imperial dreadnaught, skulking through pirate tunnels was far less pulse-pounding. Even if she was accompanied by a droid with glowing yellow eyes that made stealth tricky at best. A quick glance down the passageway ahead showed they were almost there, and Elara took a deep breath as she slowed to an even more cautious pace.  
  
"Dorne!" Jorgan's voice barked through her earpiece, and Elara nearly jumped out of her skin. "Dorne, you there?!"  
  
"Yes, sergeant, what's the matter?" she asked in an undertone, motioning Forex to wait a minute.  
  
"Airen hit a trap as we were approaching the door," he reported, before trailing off into a coughing fit.  
  
"Yes, we're being careful, Jorgan," Elara assured him.  
  
"That's not- It's bad, Dorne."  
  
Something in his voice sent a chill down her spine. "How bad, sergeant?"  
  
"Pretty damn, _lieutenant_. 'Bout as bad as detonite charge at close range can be." Jorgan sounded grim.  
  
The chill intensified. "I'm on my way."  
  
"Negative," he growled, then caught himself. "You waste time coming here, sir, and he'll probably die before we get him to the medcenter. My advice would be to go back to the settlement and get ready to take care of him."  
  
_That **is** bad._ Elara took a deep, calming breath. "You can get him back on your own, sergeant?"  
  
He grunted--whether in effort or in pain she couldn't tell--before replying, "I'm already en route."  
  
"Very well. Forex and I will return to the settlement to prepare for your arrival and alert Mayor Spence."  
  
"Probably want to prep a kolto tank," Jorgan informed her. "And be ready to transfuse a _lot_ of blood. Jorgan out."  
  
Head spinning, Elara turned to Forex. "We need to head back, quickly."  
  
"I heard, sir," Forex said. 'I will follow you."  
  
She nodded curtly and headed back down the tunnel at double-time pace, mentally cataloging everything she would likely need to tend to Captain Airen if he was as badly hurt as Jorgan had implied.  
  
>>O<<  
  
She'd hoped Jorgan had been exaggerating. It was more than a little absurd to wish for, she knew. Grim as he could be at times, the man wasn't prone to hyperbole, even at his most cynical. But still, she'd hoped. Right up to the moment she heard the speeder engine shut down outside the medcenter. Forex had volunteered to wait in the street, help transport Captain Airen inside when they arrived. Between the droid and Jorgan, it was barely more than a minute or two before the captain had been transferred from the back seat of the speeder to one of the medcenter's operating tables.  
  
Jorgan hadn't been exaggerating. Elara swallowed hard, grateful she'd taken his advice, and that blood type was recorded in Republic personnel files. They were indeed going to need a lot of it. Between flash burns, other injuries, and the copious bleeding, there wasn't a square inch of Tel-Captain Airen's skin visible anywhere--even with the significant damage to his armor.  
  
Elara cleared her throat when she realized she was staring. "Jorgan, you can go get patched up. Excellent work."  
  
"Just doing my duty, sir," he replied, before following a nurse to one of the smaller treatment rooms. Elara was fairly certain the majority of the blood covering the sniper's armor belonged to their CO, but considering how close he must have been to the blast, she wanted to be sure he had a clean bill of health.  
  
And she was a little too busy to take care of that herself. "Alright, get a transfusion line going."  
  
"Done," Spence assured her, glancing up briefly from cutting away Airen's armor. "Are you alright, lieutenant? You look a bit rattled."  
  
"I am. Both alright and rattled," Elara admitted, joining the mayor in carefully peeling away her captain's ruined armor. "He's never been so badly hurt before. Empirically knowing better doesn't stop you from buying into the whole 'invincible hero of Havoc' rhetoric when you watch him walk away with barely a scratch from things that would maim or kill most soldiers."  
  
"Imagine only knowing the legend and not the man himself," Spence pointed out, wincing as he pulled away armor and revealed the full extent of the damage to Airen's right leg. " _That's_ not good."  
  
"That's where he's losing the most blood," Elara said, hastily plucking a roll of medseal from the tray and pressing it in Spence's hands as she eyed the crimson staining the table in an ever-widening pool. "If you wrap it up and staunch the bleeding, hopefully he won't die before we find and treat his other injuries."  
  
"Of course," Spence nodded. He worked quickly, far moreso than Elara had expected,  if she was honest, as she peeled off the last of her commandeer's charred, melted, and otherwise ruined armor.  
  
Airen stirred as the last of it came away, his eye open the barest slit as his hand slowly, painfully groped against the table's surface, two fingers stiff and obviously broken. "El-Elara...?"  
  
She gently but firmly grasped his wrist to still the movement. "Don't move, sir. We're doing everything we can, but I need you to hold still. Do you understand?"  
  
His eye drifted closed and she watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Can do th-that...  El-Elara, I..." He didn't finish the sentence, unconsciousness claiming him once again.  
  
"Well, that's promising," Spence commented as he finished encasing Airen's leg in medseal and moved to check the vital displayed on a monitor screen. "Blood pressure's still not great, but stabilizing. Good call, lieutenant."  
  
"Thank you. Now let's work quickly so it doesn't turn out to be a waste," Elara said, releasing Tel's wrist and trying to ignore the bloody streaks he'd left on her arm as she reached for a diagnostic scanner.  
  
"Even assuming we save him it might be a waste," the mayor cautioned as he pressed a kolto injector to Tel's shoulder and started setting bones. "I don't know if we can save that leg."  
  
"I'm more interested in slowing blood loss so he has a fighting chance!" Elara snapped as she cleaned blood away from a compound fracture. She winced and bit the inside of her cheek in consternation. "I'm sorry. I don't want to lose him. He's a fine commanding officer, and one of only a few in the military who treats me as a person, rather than a potential traitor or resource to exploit."  
  
"I understand," Spence said, nodding reassuringly. "We've already drastically reduced the bleeding, so if we clean him up, set the bones, and get him in the kolto tank, he should pull through."  
  
Elara glanced down at the still form of her CO, barely breathing, covered in blood and burns, several bumps on his torso indicating broken ribs to go with the fractured collarbone she could see pressing against the skin. "It won't be _easy_."  
  
"No. But he'll be okay. Except for that leg. I don't think there's any saving it."  
  
"Why are you so adamant-" Elara cut herself off when he pulled up the diagnostic scan of the leg in question. "Oh."  
  
Between shrapnel and the force of the explosion, there were no fewer than five breaks in any of the bones in his leg. The kneecap was shattered, the hip joint showed hairline fractures, all the bones in his foot were essentially jelly, and the nerve damage was extensive enough to soundly finish the job. Spence was right.  
  
"Let's see what the kolto can do..." Elara began.  
  
Spence shook his head. "You and I both know, medical marvel though it may be, kolto does not work miracles, lieutenant."  
  
"You're right," she nodded. "But it will go a long way in healing the rest of his injuries, so let's get him in there as quickly as possible. I can study the scans to determine any additional treatment after that."  
  
"Agreed." Spence turned to the twi'lek who had just entered the room. "Is the kolto tank prepped?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the twi'lek replied, tugging at the hem of his uniform shirt.  
  
"Alright, then." The mayor turned to Elara. "What do you say my people and I get the captain set up in the tank while you check on Sergant Jorgan?" Then you can come make sure we did it right, keep an eye on him, if you wish."  
  
Elara smiled sheepishly at the friendly dig. He'd seen right to her biggest--if totally irrational--concern. "That sounds like an excellent plan. Thank you for your help, Mayor Spence."  
  
"Anything for Havoc Squad," he replied, keying in a code on the edge of the table.  
  
Elara couldn't hide her surprise when the top of the table detached almost silently from the base and hovered roughly waist high. "That must come in handy, sir."  
  
"Oh, it does. Fortunately we haven't needed it  much, but it does make things easier considering considering most people who wind up in here also need kolto. It takes a step out of transportation and minimizes jarring to injuries before they've had a chance to heal." With that, Spence and the twi'lek headed down the hall with Captain Airen.  
  
Elara took a moment to collect herself, trying to erase the mental image of Tel Airen, the 'invincible' Hero of Havoc, lying bloody and broken on the table. It wouldn't go away. Very deliberately _not_ looking at the haphazard pile of ruined armor, she left the room and went to find to find Jorgan.  
  
>>O<<  
  
It didn't take long to track him down--the medcenter wasn't large, and Jorgan was grumbling loudly enough for her to hear from the hallway--and only a handful of minutes more to assure herself what few injuries he'd sustained were minor and not at all life-threatening. Somewhat calmed by that knowledge, Elara went looking for Mayor Spence and Tel- _Captain Airen_ , she corrected herself mentally. By the time she made her way to the proper room, Spence and his aide had gotten the captain all set up. They had, as she expected, done an exemplary job of it, too. Still, the knot of anxiety in her chest refused to loosen. Something to do with seeing her commanding officer hanging limp in the kolto tank, every bump, bruise, gash, and burn clearly visible, she was sure. She rested one hand against the smooth glass of the tank and forced herself to focus on the small panel displaying his vitals rather than the injuries that somehow looked _worse_ cleaned up. He was still stable, and actually doing better, even with the short time he'd been in the kolto.  
  
Elara nodded, swallowing the inexplicble lump in her throat. ""Good... good work, sir. Not that I expected differently, I just..."  
  
"It's alright, lieutenant. I know what you mean." Spence gave her a reassuring smile. "I assume you'll be wanting to stay, monitor his vitals, make any treatment adjustments you feel necessary?" When Elara nodded, he moved toward the door. "Then, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the mayoring part of my job. There's a land dispute in the south quad that's not going to solve itself."  
  
"Of course. He's stable; I can handle it from here," she confirmed. "I'd hate for you to neglect your people."  
  
"Thank you, lieutenant." And with one last smile, the mayor was gone, leaving her alone with the quiet hum of the kolto tank and hiss of Captain Airen's rebreather.  
  
With nothing to do but wait, Elara sat in the chair next to the kolto tank and began reviewing the diagnostic scans.  
  
>>O<<  
  
His first conscious thought was a vague worry he had overslept. But considering he was comfortable and no one was yelling at him to drag his lazy carcass out of bed, he didn't see the harm in enjoying it a while longer.  
  
And then the muted pain in his shoulder registered. It was a familiar sensation, though one Tel hadn't felt in a long time. Years, in fact. The dull, distant ache of a serious injury numbed with painkillers. Then he remembered--the pirates, the tunnel, the explosion... He shifted, trying to drag himself awake, and a small groan escaped him as the pain in his shoulder briefly sharpened.  
  
"T- Captain? Captain, can you hear me?"  
  
He tried to reply, but couldn't make his voice cooperate and only managed another barely audible groan.  
  
Dorne muttered under her breath and must have leaned over to check something because the bed shifted. With a great deal more effort than it should have taken--in his opinion, anyway--Tel opened his eye just a slit. He still squinted at the bright light before his vision adjusted and noted that yes, Elara had leaned against the bed to check a monitor, coincidentally giving him a perfect view of her her profile.  
  
"Now there's a sight worth wakin' up to," he mumbled groggily, trying for a roguish grin but pretty sure he failed.  
  
Dorne started slightly, gave him a tolerant smile that morphed into one warm enough to rival a sun or two. "Welcome back."  
  
"Worried about me, Dorne?" he teased, voice rough from... however long in disuse.  
  
"A positive nervous wreck, sir," she retorted, grinning nonetheless as she forestalled his instinctive attempt to sit up. "Probably not the best idea."  
  
"I'll defer to your expert opinion on the matter," Tel conceded, lying still. "How long was I out?"  
  
"Eight day total in the kolto tank, three out once it had done all it could," Elara said, sitting next to the bed.  
  
"Done all it could?" he parroted, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Kolto has limited effect on broken bones, so those will have to finish healing on their own. Most of the other injuries healed beautifully in the kolto tank..."  
  
"But not all of them?"  
  
She met his gaze, brown eyes serious, with just a hint of regret. "The damage to your right leg was too severe. Between broken bones and nerve damage, even kolto wasn't enough. We had to amputate." Her hand tapped against his hip. "Here."  
  
"Well," he said slowly, absorbing the news. "That's gonna impede our next crack at that fortress."  
  
Dorne shook her head. "There's no need for that, sir. General Garza called to check in, and I told her what happened. It took her less than a week to drum up a bombing squadron, and it took them less than a day to reduce the fortress to rubble."  
  
"What, that quick?" he frowned in confusion.  
  
"The Senate can ill-afford the bad publicity of letting a war hero get blown up on an unsanctioned op that shouldn't have been necessary in the first place," she replied with a thin smile. "Jorgan had some choice words about the whole mess."  
  
"I'll bet," Tel muttered. "So he's okay?"  
  
Dorne nodded. "Few bruises, sprained wrist, small cuts. He's fine."  
  
"Good." Tel nodded. "Now, about my leg..."  
  
"There really was no other choice, sir," she said, obviously braced for him to be mad at her. "If we'd left it, your _best_ prognosis would have been crippled, and I know what being in the army means to you-"  
  
"Dorne."  
  
"-so Mayor Spence and I figured this way you can get a cybernetic prosthesis and remain active du-"  
  
" _Elara_." This time, recommendation be damned, Tel levered himself to a sitting position. It made his head spin. "If you say it was medically necessary, I believe you."  
  
She stopped. Stared at him.  
  
"You're the medic. I recruited you to Havoc because you're a damn good one. Anything in your area of expertise you decide to do, I will back you."  
  
A slow smile tugged her lips. "Thank you, sir."  
  
"You're welcome. What I was going to ask is, basically, what's your rough estimate on how long it'll take to requisition a cybernetic limb from the military?" Tel ran his fingers over his eyepatch and the surrounding implant. "These took just under three weeks to get. I imagine a limb will take longer."  
  
Dorne nodded. "Garza filed the requisition order when I told her, but the optimistic estimates are somewhere around a month and a half." She held up a forestalling hand when he started to protest. "Fortunately, given the 'potentially hazardous' classification of Trestal Five, the colony medcenter does have some basic, no-frills prosthetic limbs in storage. For emergencies. Mayor Spence has already cleared it for you to have one until your military-issue one is ready."  
  
"Won't they need that here?" he pointed out.  
  
"Spence assures me that they won't miss just one, and it's the least they can do."  
  
"But... we didn't even get in the fortress. We didn't actually accomplish anything," Tel grumbled.  
  
"Well, technically, in a roundabout way, we did get the pirates' base destroyed," Dorne said, giving his good hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Even if we didn't do it ourselves."  
  
"And all it cost me was an arm and a leg," he joked, nodding toward his immobilized right shoulder.  
  
"You're _horrible_ ," Dorne chided, but she was obviously fighting back a laugh.  
  
"Yep. It's how I deal with the trials of life," Tel said dryly. "Speaking of, how long d'you think it'll take me to get the hang of walking with a fake leg?"  
  
Elara- _Dorne_ pursed her lips in thought. "Mm, well, you're a smart and determined man, who's also highly adaptable. Shouldn't take you long at all."  
  
"You flirtin' with me again, Dorne?"  
  
She shrugged again, all innocence. "I wouldn't rule out the possibility, sir. It's also possible, however, that those are simply the facts."  
  
He grinned. "Simply the facts, huh? Here's another fact that'll help speed me along: I've got the best damn medic in the galaxy to help me."  
  
Her face colored slightly. "I don't know about _in the galaxy_ , though I appreciate the vote of confidence."  
  
"I do," Tel said bluntly. "Hell, Elara, I got _blown up_ and I'm not dead, thanks to you."  
  
"It wasn't just me," she protested. "Mayor Spence helped quite a bit. And the kolto tank did a lot of the work."  
  
"Still, you took point, didn't you? Made the decisions, gave the orders?"  
  
Dorne nodded. "I really couldn't have done it without Spence, though, sir. I don't want you putting me on any kind of pedestal..."  
  
_Too late_. "Who said anything about a pedestal? I'm just acknowledging your skills as a medic."  
  
"I will admit to some selfishness in my efforts," she commented softly, after a few seconds of silence had ticked by.  
  
"What, didn't want to lose this handsome face?" Tel ribbed, smiling crookedly.  
  
"I was thinking more not losing a commander who actually trusts me. But yes, not having your handsome face around would indeed be a great loss," Elara deadpanned. "You'd be force to rely on your charm to sweet talk information out of local women, which would put you at a serious disadvantage."  
  
"Dorne, I'm _hurt_ by your low opinion of me. Wounded deeply, in fact." His teasing turned into a yawn even as he finished talking, and she gave his hand another squeeze.  
  
"I'll let you rest; I'm sure you need it," she murmured, standing to leave. "I am very glad you're alright, Captain, sir."  
  
"So am I, Dorne," Tel said, leaning back against the pillows. "But I knew I was in good hands."  
  
The shy smile that split her face as she left was almost, _almost_ worth getting blown up to see.  
  
>>O<<  
  
Elara only made it a step or two down the hall before all the anxiety of waiting drained out of her, taking her strength with it. "Thank the stars," she whispered, leaning against the wall for support. She hadn't even realized the full extent of her worry until Captain Airen woke up. It had taken everything in her not to show how relieved she was to have him back, and to be honest she wasn't sure she'd succeeded. Which forced her to examine just how deep said relief went. Well past the strictly professional, that much was certain. Meaning at least on one level it had crossed into the personal.  
  
But that was an issue for later. For now she was going to focus on living up to his confidence in her, and show him that he was indeed in good hands.

**Author's Note:**

> This was largely written because I gave Tel a cybernetic leg at roughly the end of act 1 and figured I needed to come up with backstory for how he wound up with it in-game. I set it between act 1 and act 2 because I realized Elara’s first convo in act 2 is the one about how she’s growing fond of you and I went “Yes, PERFECT B)”


End file.
